Torch.



1. G. WALL/(CE.

TORCH. `,WPHC/mow HLED JUNE 2. |916.

1,233.423. Patented July 17, 1917.

' 2f/7gg j WITNESS ATTORNEYS JOHN e; WALIgAcE, or rHiL'AnaLPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TORCH.

To all whom L may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN G. WALLAGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State'of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torches, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had to the accompaliifing drawing.

y invention'reiates more especiall to torches vemployed for welding and the ike, in which means are provided for separately conveying suitable gases, such as acetylene y and oxygen, to a burner in which the gases are mixed preparatory to ignition adjacent the burner tip. In practice it is customary, when employing a torch of this character, to first turn4 on the acetylene, 'and after the same has been ignited, to turnzon the oxygen, and thereafter regulate the quantities or proportions of both gases delivered at the burner by suitable controlling valves orv other means in suchmanner that a Haine of the desired intensity is produced. This regu lation of the ases is a m'tter requiring considerableskill and an app eciable amount of time, and in consequence al ter the desired adjustment is obtained undeA any given' set of working conditions, it is advantageous to maintain the same until the particular job upon which the workman may be employed is completed. In case the workman is temporarily called away from the job, or desires to lay down the torch during the course of the welding or other operation, the gases mustl either be shut oii" completelyirom the torch thus involving reignition and re lation thereof after the workman is rea y to resume work, or else the torch must laid aside with the intensely hot flame burning at full height, involving a large waste Ofgas as well as the danger of fire or injury to employees.

VA principaiobject of my invention, 'therefore, iste provide in a torch of this character means whereby, should the workman `or operator lay the torch aside after the same has been ignited and adjusted to produce the desired dame, the amount of gases fiowing to the burner will b'e substantially cut oil' 'to reduce the size and tem rature of the flame until the operator again picksup the torch, which action shall automatically result in restablishing the How of gases to the burner in the same quantity and proportion as when `thetorch was laid aside;

l Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 17, 191 Application iiled June 2, 1916. Serial N o. 101,239.

and to provide means to prevent the total extinguishment of the torch when the same is laid aside, whereby the necessity of reignitiug the'torch after the full flow of gases to the burnerA is. restablished avoided.

Further omectsof my invention are to4 provide means suitable for the purposes.Y

heretofore described which may be readily adapted for use in torches of the types at present inuse; which' shallbe'cheap to construct and which shall therefore not add materially tothe cost of the torch; which shall comprise a relatively small number. of parts; which shall' be simple in construction and not liable to get out' of order when in use; which shall operate substantially automatically in reducing the fiow of gas when the `torch is'laid aside and in permitting a resumption of the ow thereof when Athe torch Vis again picked up, and whichshall not interfere with the working or operation of the torch in any manner whatsoever.

My invention further includes all\of the various other objects andinovel features of construction and arrangement 'hereinafter more definitely specified and described.

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated a preferred embodiment f m invention applied to a torch of substantially thereof; Fig. 2 a side elevation showing .the parts in the position assumed vwhen the torch is not in operative use, and Fig.v3 is a similar view illustrating the position of i the parts when the torch is in operative use.

'standard form, Figure 1 isa top plan view The form of the invention illustrated is shown as applied to an ordinary' oxy-acet lene torch adapted for welding and the like comprising the burner 1 and pipes 24 and 3 by means of which acetylene and oxygen may be respectively conducted to the burner from suita le separate tanks, notsho n, to

which the lpipes are connected by xibletubing, or otherwise, in the well known manner, nipples 4 land bein sup lied to facilitate the connection of' t etu ing with the pipes. The pipes are surrounded bya suitab e handle 6 which is grasped by the op-` erator when using'the torch, and both pipes 432, supplemented b 1,233,423 i A Y@ i Figs. 4 and 5. The gases may now be turned the Oxygen and acetylene valves to close and @valves to the burner,

result in completely extinguishing the torch cutting off the passage of gas past those which action would in the `absence of means to prevent this result and hereinafter described It will be evident, owing to thc lead of the acetylene' valve over the oxygen valve due to its cap 30 beingA adjusted to a position slightly below the corresponding cap of the oxygen valve, that the acetylene valve will open slightly before and close slightly after, the oxygen valve during the movement of lever 12, and that it will open for a slightly .greater distance, thus establishing the How of acetylene to the burner slightly/in advanc of the dow of oxygen, and maintaining it for a slightly greater -period of time.

Tb obviate .the complete extinguishment of the torch wheny the valve heads 23 seat upon the ends ofv their respective bushings, however, means are vprovided to permit a cpnstant, but a` relatively minute How of `:cet lene to' the"bu1'ner, and in the form 't e invention shown `comprise a suitable needle rfi-hee threaded" into the housing 16 andcoiitrollingaiJ small passage 46 extendin through the body of the housing from e part 17 Ltoachamber 47 communicating i v"thernai'rl chamber 19 and hence through port 18 and pipe 2 with the burner. ;It'will berbselfved that the dow, of gas past the needle valve and'throu passage 46 is` entirely independent of t e pbsition and operation of the adjacent vltlvehead 23 and Vits actuating mechanism, thuslpermitting a small buticonstant stream of gas t pass to the burner sufiicient to maintainI a small llame or pilot light of pure` acetylene as adjacent the tip thereof at all times a ter the torch is once ignited and as long as the valve 8 is not completely closed. Whenever the lever 12 is manipulated to open the main acetylene valve the pilot Haine will of course immediately increase in size and if the movement of the lever be. continued sniciently to open the oxygemvalve, this llame will 'then be reinforced by the blast of oxygen in the well known manner.

In consequence, whenever the torch after being ignited and properly adjusted is temporarily laid aside, it is. unnecessary to extingnish it or to change the position of the mam regulating valves and thus vary the torch is again picked up to continue the work of welding or the like, the acetylene and oxygen valves consecutively open to reestablish the flow of both gases to the burner' in the relative proportions determined when the torch was initially ignited.

While I have referred to and illustrated my invention in connection with a usual form of torch adapted for the use of-acetylcne and oxygen gases, it will be understood that the invention is equally well adapted for employment in connection with torches or the like arranged to utilize other gases or duids and of varying constructions, and furthermore, that while I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention with considerable particularity, I do not intend or desire to thereby limit myself specifically thereto, as it will be evidentthat suitable changes and modificationsmay be made in the Form, arrangement and construction of the var'ous parts as desired without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. V

lila/ving thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

l. The combination with a torch having a pair of pipes adapted to separately con-` duct gases to a burner, means for regulating thc How oi gases in said pipes and a handle, of an independently movable valve disposed in cach of said pipes and normally operative to prevent a flow of gas therethrough, a hinged lever adjacent said handle` and adapted to automatically consecutively open said valves when said handle and said lever are simultaneously grasped by the operator of the torch and means to permit a constant flow of gas to said burner through one of said pipes independently of the position of the valve in such pipe.

2. The combination with an Oxy-acetylene torch having a pair of lating the How of said gases and a han le, of a valve in each of said pipes, means to maintain said. valves in normally closed position, mcansopcrativc to automatically open said valves col'isecntively as said means and said handle are grasped by the ojjierator, and means comprising an adjustable needle valve operative to maintain aconstant low of acetylene to said burner independently of the position ci the valves in said pipes.`

l. The combination with an Oxy-acetylene torch having a burner and pipes operative pipes ,adapted to convey gases to a burner, means for re uto conduet the gases tlu's/reteI of a. valve in tet-posed ln each pipe and normally operative to prevent the passage of there` through, n lever operative to auton'mfteztlly :letunte said valves when the torch is grasped by the operator, nlefms to meuse the valve in one 'pipe to open in edvzmee of the valve ,in the other pipe when .said velfes are netuuted by said lever, :md means to permit n constant How of acetylene to seid burner mlel'ml'nlently of the position of the valve in 'the pipe Carrying the acetylene.

4. The combination with en Oxy-acetylene torch having a, hau-ner, 'pipes operative to conduct gases to seid burner and reguletting meansy of a valve interposed in each pipe between said regulating means'ancl said burner and normally operative to prevent the passage of ges thereto, means operative to autonmticully consecutively open said valves to permit the passage of gas through one of said pipes to said burner in advance of the passage of gas through thev other of said 'pipes thereto when the toreh. is grasped by the operator, und meansto permit the constant passage of a relatively smell 4quantity of acetylene from said regulating means to said burner independently of the posi-` tion of either of said valves.

1n Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of Mey, 1916.

JOHN G. WALLACE. 

